Today we're bringing you a buying guide for sound synthesis plug-ins, aimed at beginners and more advanced users alike, to give you a clearer idea of what's available on the market today.
In this new AudioFanzine buying guide, we’re going to talk sound synthesis and plug-ins! The existing range of synthesizer plug-ins is rather large, whether free or paid, virtual analog or purely digital-inspired. Just about any synthesis type is available in plug-in form, including subtractive, granular, FM, physical modeling and more. You’ll find soft synths with simple signal paths and those with very complex ones, even including replications of the workflow of modular hardware synthesizers. Some synths offer sounds highly typified in given electronic music genres, whereas others are intended to be played by a seasoned keyboardist with MPE (MIDI Polyphonic Expression) if possible.
When you start manipulating virtual synthesizers or creating electronic music, it can be difficult to decide what to use to train yourself — even if you limit yourself to freeware. The risk is great of using a tool that is not adapted to your level or how you intend to use it.
There’s nothing worse for a beginner than finding yourself with the wrong synthesizer under your fingers, as these are not easy instruments to master. Besides understanding the various types of sound synthesis, you’ll also need a basic understanding of music theory, a grounding in sound design, the ability to recreate sounds from scratch or from a preset to suit a particular idea, and familiarity with new vocabulary such as “pluck, ” “lead, ” or “subs” sounds. And let’s not forget that you’ll be working under the constraints of the DAW environment — as opposed to using a hardware synth with knobs and potentiometers — where you’ll have to play with to add a little life to a song or performance via automation or the use of an external controller.
The aim of this buying guide is, therefore, not to be exhaustive regarding synthesizer plug-ins or to provide you with an endless list of products, but to give you practical recommendations for starting your search based on what your goal is (I’ll include a list of uses and needs.)
I’ll then try to alternate between commercial products and free plug-ins targeting the relevant categories. I’d also like to take this opportunity to encourage you to ask yourself what you’re really missing in your setup. If you’re a newcomer, I’ll help you get into sound synthesis without worrying about the latest promo for the “must-have” stuff and without recommending references that are too obvious.
Special big bass
To get to the heart of the matter, we’ll start by looking at big-sounding basses, which are a central topic in electronic music. Some basses are strictly mono, while others feature stereo modulations to give them space. Some use simple sawtooth waveforms, while others are more sophisticated and include distortion and several oscillators. On the subject of basses, we can talk about Subs, Reese, “Lately Bass”, “hard sync, ” acid, legato, unison or supersaw, and sometimes we go a little overboard on the leads with this type of sound.
In this category, I’ll start with the Acid V from Arturia, which emulates the mythical Roland TB-303 with a custom distortion module and several sequencer or effects options. In my opinion, this plug-in and 303 emulations in general (the D16 Group version isn’t bad either) are good for obtaining a certain type of analog bass sound (baw, babawwww, bababababaw), as well as a wide range of more general-purpose sounds that are not necessarily sequencer-driven.
Although any synth plug-in is theoretically competent to produce a bass that sounds “analog, ” the reference that comes up again and again in this field remains u-he Diva, with its analog modeling algorithms and its ability to mix different parts of several iconic synthesizers or reproduce one in its entirety such as the Roland Jupiter, Roland Juno, Minimoog and the Korg MS-20.
But if you’re looking more specifically for the sound of one of the latter, we can go for more faithful and specialized representations of these analog synthesizers, for example, with the MS-20 V from the V Collection by Arturia, or The Legend HZ by Synapse Audio, which we’ll talk about again soon.
“Engines” synthesizers
A recent trend is what I call “engines synthesizers, ” i.e., those with interchangeable wave generation engines, which can be used alone or mixed together. Although not a novelty in itself at the time, this fashion owes its existence in part to the work of Emilie Gillet of Mutable Instruments, who created two digital modules in Eurorack format entitled Braids and Plaits, which let you choose from a certain number of oscillator algorithms, then interact with them using two or three macro-parameters, which are open source and cover quite a few possible uses.
The first plug-in we can think of in this genre is (again!) from Arturia, namely the famous Pigments, available today in version 5. One of its special features is that it has several synthesis engines that can be combined, including granular, sampling, wavetable, virtual analog, and additive. It also features a utility engine, which generates noise and an additional simplified oscillator.
Another “engines” synthesizer, the Arturia Minifreak V, is even more strongly inspired by the Mutable modules since Arturia’s Microfreak and the Minifreak hardware use some of the original open-source code. While we’re on the subject of Plaits, VCV Rack 2, the software dedicated to the modular workflow as well as its fork Cardinal, which lets you get a plug-in version of its patch for free, offer ports of Emilie’s modules, making them directly available in your DAW, and even mixing several of them. Still in this style, we can also mention the Meld stock instrument supplied with Ableton Live 12, of which I speak at length in my review, the Polymer by Bitwig, the free Vember Audio Surge XT plug-in we’ll talk about below, which also includes a port of Plaits called Twist, and above all UVI Falcon 3, which offers an impressive list of sound generation engines, including the result of collaborations with IRCAM.
To get into FM differently
Frequency modulation synthesis can be a complex subject for those new to sound synthesis but also for those more advanced. Modifying certain parameters of a Yamaha DX7 — to take a completely random example — can have an unpredictable effect on the timbre of the sound because these instruments often have many parameters. However, it’s also possible to do very simple FM synthesis with the FM inputs of certain analog oscillators and their emulations or with the rather percussion-oriented workflow and sound design of a synth like the Elektron Digitone. However, when it comes to FM synthesis à la DX7, there have been several recent attempts to make the instruments and dedicated plug-ins more accessible, with limited parameter sets or an orientation towards particular sound types (the iconic Lately Bass, as well as bells, electric pianos, etc.) that are quick to reach without leaving the synthesizer’s “sweet spots.”
Thus we note the attempts to simplify the DX7, which had already begun with Native Instruments’ FM8 a number of years ago, by various challengers such as the Arturia DX7 V, which features an interface as uncluttered and modern as possible, the Opzilla from 2getheraudio, which “dares” to reduce the DX7's feature set to offer only what makes sense and is used most often by these aficionados, or Plogue’s version, the Chipsynth OPS7, which doesn’t have the prettiest interface, but one of the most functional, and above all the analog-to-digital converter modeling engines of the Yamaha original, as well as the on-board hardware that colors the sound rendering. Otherwise, I can only talk to you again about the Operator from Ableton, which is a deliberate attempt to offer the simplest possible design and aesthetics without cutting back on the possibilities of this type of synthesis or the modernization of FM synthesis in general carried out by Korg with its Opsix, which comes in hardware and software versions.
Build-your-sound-experience
Now we’re going to talk about something that modularists know well, namely the creation of one’s “synthesis environment” or an experience around sound synthesis. Modular synths, in which the bricks are interchangeable and the interactions can be chosen to the extreme, are fantastic tools for sound design, for “creating your own synthesizer.” They’re useful for sounds that you can’t easily get with more conventional approaches on synthesizers that have their own specific “sweet spots.”
However, to limit oneself to this is, in my opinion, an error of judgment and sometimes a way of disqualifying the modular approach in general. Indeed, an important feature of the approach is the possibility of interacting in real-time with the sound, whether by playing with highly interactive effects or with the means of generating notes and events, which can themselves be modulated with one another. The result varies from the famous “ambient auto-generative” piece to sounds that will seem much more predictable or even “commercial, ” and which will be built up as you go. These experiment-friendly instruments can then be used independently or in coordination with others.
There are several software programs that reproduce the Eurorack format modular synthesizer experience virtually (for example, Cherry Audio Voltage Modular or Softube Modular), but the one I’m going to recommend is the VCV Rack 2, which has a free version with fairly substantial module content, and its free fork Cardinal, which lets you use it as a plug-in in your usual DAW (with a few differences to what the Pro—and paid—version offers). This software is an excellent learning complement to the IRL modular, a way to create fun synthesizers as we saw in the “engines” section, but above all, you can make music with the software alone, even without using a MIDI keyboard or external controller, with mountains of videos available on YouTube of demonstrations and tutorials.
As alternatives to this workflow, however, to achieve similar results and experiences, I also recommend that you immerse yourself in “The Grid by Bitwig, ” inspired by the modular approach, with the added advantage of being integrated directly into a DAW or explore the possibilities offered by the latest versions of Native Instruments Reaktor, which lets you create your own instruments or play with “Blocks” modules. Last but not least, don’t hesitate to add plug-ins specialized in note or sequence generation or the dedicated features in your DAW to control your favorite synthesizers. Virtual instruments frequently have their own built-in note generation, ranging from simple step sequencers to the plethora of offerings in the field offered by a UVI Falcon 3.
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Playing keyboard like a keyboardist
I’m going to add a list of polyphonic synthesizer recommendations that are dedicated to those we call “keyboardists, ” those who play synthesizers with several fingers. Those who don’t necessarily work on techno/house projects but also rock and pop in the broadest sense and who want to add synthetic notes to their music! When we talk about synthesizers, we sometimes forget about you, and yet we see you at trade shows and in instrument stores, so today, I’m going to dedicate a small section of my buying guide to you.
Hard in this field to overlook the V Collection by Arturia, which provides a range of models of iconic polyphonic analog synthesizers such as the Jupiter 8 or Juno-6 — monophonic ones too (often augmented with polyphony) — and 100-percent digitally inspired designs such as the software port of the Minifreak. However, other brands have also tackled polyphonic instruments, such as the u-he Repro, which reproduces Sequential Circuits’ Prophet 5, Togu Audio Line (TAL) has emulated the Juno-60 with the TAL-U-NO-LX and the Alpha Juno II (TAL-Pha). There are also some interesting free plug-ins at Full Bucket Music, such as their reproduction of the Korg Mono/Poly for example.
Sound design and textures
Since we were talking about modular before, let’s now discuss sound design. Whenever we have a sound in mind or want to hear something inspiring, there’s going to be a trial-and-error phase in the use of synthesizers with the various parameters and controls we’re offered, until the musician has arrived at something they want to use. Sometimes they’ll need a lot of controls. Other times a large mass of available presets to scroll through. Still other times, what they really need is expressiveness or types of synthesis that are a little out of the ordinary. And sound design is also an opportunity to create different things that can form the starting point of a production.
One of the first synthesizers I think of when talking about sound design is the u-he Zebra. It’s a modular software synthesizer that’s an invitation to create the craziest sounds, with a few key features that make it unique and deep, such as oscillator effects, the number of filters available, routing possibilities, slightly off-the-wall effects modules that wouldn’t be denied on a Native Instruments Absynth, and the off-the-wall capabilities that made it one of the favorite tools of a certain Hans Zimmer (who was entitled to his soundset full of presets used in the Black Knight films). It’s worth noting that, in anticipation of the release of version 3, the u-he teams have already put the beta version 3 of its free counterpart online, Zebralette 3, which features a single oscillator and modulation possibilities, and that this oscillator is probably the most sound-intensive I’ve ever seen in a plug-in (especially with the waveform editor, oscillator effect feedback or spectral tools), which promises for the full version!
I’d also like to mention Eventide Generate by Newfangled Audio and its free version Pendulate, which exploits the concept of chaos and physical modeling to create synthesis algorithms that are unique, distorted and complicated to describe other than by playing with them, all with a distinctive interface and user experience that’s very much West Coast, and not just because of the presence of the low-pass gate. I was also thinking of Baby Audio Atoms in the genre of synthesizers that sound different thanks to an atypical synthesis engine based on masses and springs, a sort of Karplus Strong on steroids, or Expressive E Noisy 2, with its resonators. Note that these synthesizers also offer a strong focus on expressiveness thanks to their support for MPE, which is particularly advanced on Noisy 2 with presets and pages in the dedicated interface.
Vintage if not downright lo-fi
One category of sounds I find particularly interesting is vintage tones, but of the really vintage kind, not like the Minimoog one found everywhere in modern productions. Let’s think more lo-fi synthwave that veers squarely with vaporwave and retrowave; let’s go all the way to the Mellotron in the attempt to reproduce sounds. I’ve got a little selection to share with you here!
The first plug-in I can think of in this genre is the Baby Audio BA-1, which is an emulation of a machine that seems totally uninteresting at first glance, namely the Yamaha CS01, which looks like some of Casio’s toy calculators. So I was surprised when I first tried it out, and it turns out to be a synthwave sound machine with a large number of sweet spots and essential key features such as a randomization engine, a bad speaker simulation, and a slider that reproduces the effect of a weakening power supply. I don’t use it all the time, but when it’s in its place, I’m always very happy to have it!
I’d also add two libraries that are regularly offered for free or as bundles, for Kontakt and UVI Workstation, namely Native Instruments Analog Dreams and UVI Digital Synsations, which are filled to the brim with this type of sound, with a mix of sampling and synthesis or modeling. Special mention finally to the plug-in version of the Waldorf Streichfett, which is not in my eyes the best software String Machine, but probably the most lo-fi, and very capable in the usual registers associated with pad machines.
Synthesizers with (too) big a sound
Let’s talk about groove sound again, which takes up all the space (frequency and time) to the point where it’s virtually impossible not to have to axe-equalize tracks to get the sounds into a mix. These sounds are great fun to manipulate but sometimes require a bit of touch to fit into your productions!
Of course, all the “Virtual Analog” type plug-ins we’ve seen previously on the subject of bass come into consideration as u-he DIVA, especially if they offer unison-type features to thicken the sound further. From this point of view, another fairly versatile plug-in from Synapse Audio, Dune 3, is quite remarkable. This one has sound generation engines that are especially focused on unison and supersaws. It offers the ability to modify synthesis parameters for each voice and import samples to play along with, all with a feature set that makes it a versatile, simple synthesizer, despite the “8x Unison = up to 520 oscillators per note” displayed in the specs! And, as mentioned for Dune 3, the use of sampling in addition to synthesis is what can make the difference when it comes to obtaining these types of “bigger than big” sounds.
It’s on this register, among others, that it’s impossible not to recommend Spectrasonics Omnisphere, which pushes the concept of hybrid synthesis (algorithms + sampling) pretty far. It features over 64 GB of raw sounds and synthesis or effects engines, with granular, FM or vintage modulation modeling.
There are also hundreds of instruments based on the same hybrid concept, notably at UVI, compatible with Workstation and Falcon, for Native Instruments Kontakt again and for David Hilowitz’s decidedly Decent Sampler, on which you can find rave content for free. But among these instruments, there one that stands out from the crowd, Quadra Modular from UVI. It allows you to mix four sonic layers of sounds and sequences, recorded from analog synthesizers, which already sound “intense, ” with a sampling of the Colossus XL from Analogue Solutions. The latter takes up as much space in the room as it does in the mixes!
do-everything-all-the-time
Sometimes, the synthesizer we choose won’t be the one that sounds best, or the biggest, or has the most possibilities, but simply the most versatile, the most accessible for obtaining relatively simple sounds, that consumes the least CPU resources, and that we’ll be able to use just about everywhere en masse for various and varied tasks.
In this field, more than others, everyone is going to have their darlings, and no one will agree on which is the ultimate. Although I’ve spent a lot of time on various fashionable synthesizers depending on the era (Sonic Academy ANA 2.5, Xfer Records Serum, Synth1, Spire, etc.), today, the one I find most often in my sessions is u-he Hive 2. But I also feel obliged to tell you about two free, but very serious alternatives, which are Vember Audio Surge XT and Vital Audio Vital. Don’t be fooled by their appearance; their value and content put them on par with some paid-for offerings, whether it’s Surge XT with its astronomical quantities of effects and oscillator algorithms, which can be found chopped up in VCV Rack, or Vital, which pushes the exploitation of a wavetable synthesis engine quite far.
Don’t forget your DAW
Finally, before you give in to the sirens of the “Gear Acquisition Syndrome” or download free plug-ins en masse, I think it’s important to remind you not to forget to check out what your favorite DAW offers on the synth front. In fact, it may not have escaped you that I recently spoke at length about the synthesizers on offer in Ableton Live, which I myself sometimes forget to go into a little more detail about.
Ableton Live offers, in its various versions, a consistent quantity of instruments dedicated to sound synthesis and tinkering (Meld, Drift, Wavetable, Analog, Operator, Collision etc.) and openness to the M4L ecosystem. Other DAWs are not all equal in this respect. Still, of course, it’s worth talking again about the modular environment of Bitwig Studio and everything you can put in it or the instruments supplied with it (Polymer, Phase-4, FM-4, etc.). We can also mention Alchemy and Sculpture in Logic Pro X.
Conclusion
That was a brief overview of plug-in synthesizers, organized according to use, with rather personal recommendations (I can already hear you saying that I haven’t talked about this or that software). I hope this buying (and non-buying) guide has inspired some of you to start learning about sound synthesis. I now wish you a pleasant exploration, and don’t hesitate to share your discoveries or your favorites, and even to put other suggestions in the comments!